The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick

June 7–September 7, 2025 | Fifth Third Gallery

The Crafted World presents the innovative work of Wharton Esherick (1887–1970), the famed American artist best known as the father of the Studio Furniture Movement. Between 1926 and 1966, Esherick built his hillside home and studio in southeastern Pennsylvania. Now the Wharton Esherick Museum (WEM), it houses a treasury of work from seven decades of artistic practice. To share Esherick’s creative vision with contemporary audiences, The Crafted World draws on WEM’s rich and rarely loaned collection of over 3,000 works of art. Detailing the artist’s career from his early woodcut illustrations to his revolutionary reimagining of furniture forms as organic sculpture, the exhibition explores Esherick’s fascination with the natural world and intimate connection to its materials, his wry sense of humor, skillful design-thinking and problem-solving, interest in performance and the body, and enduring imaginative spirit.

The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick is co-organized by the Brandywine Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and the Wharton Esherick Museum in Malvern, Pennsylvania.

WEDNESDAY–SATURDAY ADMISSION FREE SUNDAYS & MONDAYS

Members' Opening Reception | The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick

Thursday, June 5

5–8 p.m.

Join the Taft for an exclusive members’ opening and explore this exciting new exhibition on its first tour focused exclusively on the Wharton Esherick Museum’s collection. This program will include remarks from President/CEO Rebekah Beaulieu, as well as music and self-guided tours. Light bites provided; cash bar available. Free valet parking.

Free for Taft members; $20 for guests of members. Taft members at Sustaining ($275+) Level receive a complimentary drink ticket.

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Questions? Contact membership@taftmuseum.org.

Members' Preview Day & Tour | The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick

Friday, June 6

10 a.m.–5 p.m. | Staff-led tour at 11 a.m.

Join us for an exclusive members’ preview day! Tour available with advance registration.  

Free for Taft members and guests of members with guest pass. 

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Questions? Contact membership@taftmuseum.org.

Create & Play | The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick

Wednesday, June 18

10:15–11 a.m.

Bring your young one to the Taft! Explore the galleries together while learning about art through guided activities and interactive games. Then get creative in the studio and make your own masterpiece to take home. This monthly program is designed for children ages 2–6 and their caregivers.

Let’s look at the furniture of Wharton Esherick in this special exhibition.

Admission is free for Taft members, guests of members with guest pass, military, and youth (17 and under); $15 for adults; $12 for seniors. Save on tickets when you buy online. Includes admission to special exhibitions and the museum’s permanent collection galleries.

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Questions? Contact education@taftmuseum.org.

Curator Tour | The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick

Wednesday, June 25

11 a.m.–12 p.m.

Join Ann Glasscock, Associate Curator, on an in-depth tour of The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick.

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Free for Taft members, $12 for non-members

Artist Perspective Tours

Select Dates

11 a.m.–12 p.m.

Wednesday, July 9 Led by Eric Evans, Preparator & Collections Technician | Join Eric Evans, the Taft’s Preparator and Collections Technician and master carpenter for a technical look at The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick.

Wednesday, August 6 Led by Katrina Dienno from Tiger Lily Press | Learn more about the techniques used in woodblock printing on a tour of The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick with artist and printmaker Katrina Dienno of Tiger Lily Press.

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Free for Taft members, $12 for non-members

Wharton Esherick (American, 1887–1970), The Concert Meister, detail,1937, woodblock print, 9 1/4 x 11 1/4 in. (image). Collection of the Wharton Esherick Museum

Workshop | Printmaking

Saturday, July 12

1–5 p.m.

Join us for a hands-on linocut printmaking workshop led by artist, Adrian Tio of Tiger Lily Press. Inspired by the woodblock prints in the exhibition, The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick, learn the fundamentals of linoleum printmaking and create your own unique works of art.

All materials will be provided. 18+ years. All experience levels welcome. $30 for Taft members, $40 for nonmembers

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Signature Talk | The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick

Thursday, July 24

5:30–6:30 p.m.

Speaker: Emily Zilber, Director of Curatorial Affairs & Strategic Partnerships at the Wharton Esherick Museum

While Wharton Esherick is best known as the father of the studio furniture movement, his legacy is as one of the most creative and interdisciplinary figures of 20th-century American art, craft, and design. Join Emily Zilber, curator of the exhibition and editor of its accompanying catalog, for an in-depth look at Esherick‘s life and work through the lens of his handcrafted, unconventional home and studio, open to the public for over fifty years as the Wharton Esherick Museum.

Free for Taft members; $5 for non-members. Event admission includes the opportunity for attendees to view the special exhibition before the talk.

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Supported by the Stanley and Frances D. Cohen Lecture Series

Questions? Contact education@taftmuseum.org.

FREE! Family Funday

Saturday, July 27

10 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Join the museum to celebrate The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick. Spend the day creating art inspired by this 20th-century furniture maker.

This is a free event! Registration is not required

FULL SCHEDULE COMING SOON!

Workshop | History & Practice: Wood Carving and Whittling with Cincinnati Carvers Guild

Saturday, August 23

12:30–2:30 p.m.

Appreciate art practices on both a historical and practical level in this new workshop series! Workshops will feature professional artists and history experts who will offer insight into a particular artist, work, and/or art form and lead participants in their own creative practice in a variety of workshop mediums.

$25 for members; $35 for non-members. Ages 18+, all experiences welcome.

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The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick is co-organized by the Brandywine Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and the Wharton Esherick Museum in Malvern, Pennsylvania

Exhibition Sponsors